In Nathan Dornacher’s words, he didn’t get the barbecue he was expecting this Labor Day weekend.
The St. Petersburg, Florida, man was running errands with his wife and daughter Monday when he says his Jeep suddenly burst into flames while parked in his driveway.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, but he now suspects his cell phone, a recently recalled Samsung Galaxy Note 7 that had been charging inside the SUV, is to blame.
“That’s the last thought in my head, that a brand new device, something as simple as a phone is going to burn down my car, my house, or hurt a family member,” he told Fox 13 News of his initial surprise.
But now he said he’s pretty much convinced.
Last week Samsung announced it will replace all Galaxy Note 7s because of reports that the batteries can explode while charging.
Dornacher said he wasn’t aware of the recall until after Monday’s fire.
“Why wouldn’t they call us or email something,” he wrote on Facebook after seeing news of the recall.
In a later Facebook post Thursday, he said his family has since been in contact with Samsung and that they do have car insurance to help cover the costs.
He said his family has not asked for anything from the company and only want others to know the possible risks associated with the phone.
“All I want out of this is for everyone to take this recall seriously and if you didn’t know about it please educate yourself before it’s too late,” his post read. “I had the phone for 5 days and not having tv or a notification we did not know. We are safe no one was hurt all that matters to me.”
In a statement obtained by The Huffington Post, Samsung confirmed that they are working with Dornacher and reiterated that the Galaxy Note 7 exchange program is underway. They added that “consumer safety is Samsung’s highest priority.”
